Method And System For Implementing Online Broadcasting In A Network Game

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a method for implementing online broadcasting in a network game, including: setting at network side an online broadcasting server adapted to broadcast an audio program online via Internet; by a game client, logging in a game server at network side, detecting that a playing butten/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated, and tuning in to the audio program broadcast via Internet by the online broadcasting server during a game. The present invention also discloses a system for implementing online broadcasting in a network game, including a game server, a game client, an online broadcasting server, and a broadcasting service server. The present invention further discloses a game client. By adopting the present invention, it is convenient for the user to tune in online audio programs and obtain related game news from broadcasting when participating in a network game.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2007/071020, filed Nov. 5, 2007. This application claims the benefit and priority of Chinese Application No. 200610170247.3, filed Dec. 21, 2006. The entire disclosures of each of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to network games, and particularly to a method and system for implementing online broadcasting in a network game.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

At present, an information publishing platform is usually configured in various network games to guarantee that users can conveniently obtain information of activities in the game. In the prior art, the information publishing platform of the network game usually publishes information through text broadcasting, system mails or forum bulletins.

The text broadcasting is implemented by displaying certain text information repeatedly at certain time, or popping up an information window for displaying latest game news. In such information publishing mode, the information published generally can not be paid long-time attention to by the users since there is so much miscellaneous information.

The system mail is a special mail sent to the user by a game system. It is sent to the user in a certain activity period of a network game, and the related activity information can be presented upon the user receiving the system mail and opening it. In such information publishing mode, however, the system mail usually can not function as it is supposed to due to garbage mails flooding in the games, and some users even dislike the garbage mails so much that they never open the system mail.

The forum bulletin is a web page information publishing mode which is completely independent from the game system. However, it is not very convenient because all bulletin information can only be published and checked on the forum outside of the game. And since many users almost never log in the forum, or they just visit several special boards even if they have logged in the forum, they can not be timely notified of the information published for the game.

Furthermore, the information publishing platform based on text can not be further extended on services, and the user focuses and participates little on the text information presented in the game.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

The present invention provides a method and system for implementing online broadcasting in a network game to solve a problem in the prior art that it is not convenient to acquire activity information of a network game when a user is participating in the network game.

The method of the present invention includes: logging in, by a game client, a game server at a network side; detecting that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated; and tuning in an online audio program broadcast via Internet by a configured online broadcasting server during a game.

The present invention further provides a system for implementing online broadcasting in a network game to solve the problem in the prior art that it is not convenient to acquire activity information of a network game when a user is participating in the network game.

The system of the present invention includes a game server and a game client, and further includes an online broadcasting server, where, the online broadcasting server is adapted to broadcast an online audio program via Internet; and the game client is adapted to detect that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated after logging in the game server, and tune in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server during a game.

The present invention also provides a game client for implementing online broadcasting in a network game to solve the problem in the prior art that it is not convenient to acquire activity information of a network game when a user is participating in the network game.

The game client of the present invention includes a logging-in module, and further includes an online-tuning-in function module which is adapted to detect that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated, and tune in an audio program broadcast by an online broadcasting server during a game.

In accordance with the present invention, by configuring an online broadcasting server and configuring on a game interface of a network game an playing button/identity related to tuning in online broadcasting, a game client is able to tune in the online broadcasting after logging in a game server, so that the game client can easily tune in audio programs broadcasted online while playing a game without opening a player or other external web pages, and thus the game client can conveniently tune in the online audio programs and acquire related game news from the broadcasting. Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the process of tuning in online-broadcast audio programs according to an embodiment of the present invention; and,

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a system for implementing online broadcasting in a network game according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “specific embodiment,” or the like in the singular or plural means that one or more particular features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment,” “in a specific embodiment,” or the like in the singular or plural in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

The present invention provides a method for implementing online broadcasting in a network game, which includes:

setting at a network side an online broadcasting server adapted to broadcast an audio program online via Internet; and

tuning in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server during the game, after detecting, by a game client logged in a game server at the network side, that a playing button/identity configured on an interface of a game is operated.

Specific embodiments are described below in detail with regards to the drawings.

Embodiment I

Only one online broadcasting server is set at the network side which is adapted to broadcast an audio program online via Internet, where, the specific content of the audio program may be game explanation and information publishing etc., which is not limited in the present invention.

When a user desires to tune in an audio program broadcast online via a game client, the specific implementation steps are as shown in FIG. 1, which includes:

Step S101: a game client logs in a game server at the network side and presents an interface of a game in a local window, and the user plays a network game.

To facilitate the user to start or stop tuning in the audio program broadcast online at any time during the game, a playing button/identity and a stopping button/identity are added to the interface of the game in advance. Specifically, such button/identity may be configured at any position of a screen; or, a simulated broadcasting scenario may be set on the interface of the game in which the playing button/identity and the stopping button/identity are arranged.

Step S102: the game client judges whether the playing button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, i.e., whether the user clicks or starts the playing button/identity; proceeds to Step S103 if the user clicks or starts the playing button/identity, and otherwise, the user only plays the network game via the game client without starting tuning in the audio program broadcast online.

Step S103: tuning in the audio program broadcast online by the online broadcast server at network side, and proceeding to Step S104.

Step S104: the game client judges whether the stopping button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, i.e., whether the user clicks or starts the stopping button/identity; proceeds to Step S105 if the user clicks or starts the stopping button/identity, and otherwise, returns to Step S103 to continuing tuning in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcast server at network side.

Step S105: stopping tuning in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcast server at network side.

In practical applications, a volume adjusting button/identity may be further added to the interface of the game in advance, by operating which the user may increase or decrease the volume of the audio program currently tuned in.

Embodiment II

More than one online broadcasting server is configured at the network side, and each online broadcasting server is adapted to broadcast a different set of audio program. Meanwhile, a broadcasting service server is configured at the network side, which is adapted to manage a list of online broadcasting servers and program list information of the different online broadcasting servers.

To facilitate the user to start or stop tuning in the audio program broadcast online at any time during the game, a playing button/identity and a stopping button/identity are added to the interface of the game in advance. Since there is more than one online broadcasting server at the network side, a broadcasting selecting button/identity is further configured on the interface of the game in order to make it convenient for the user to select to tune in one of the audio programs broadcast by one of the online broadcast servers. Specifically, such button/identity may be configured at any position of the screen; or, a simulated broadcasting scenario may be set on the interface of the game in which the playing button/identity, the stopping button/identity and the broadcasting selecting button/identity are arranged.

In Embodiment II, the specific procedure of the user tuning in the audio program broadcast online is similar to that shown in FIG. 1, the difference between them are as follows:

1) Before starting to tune in a program, the user may select the audio program broadcast by a desired online broadcasting server by clicking the broadcasting selecting button/identity. When detecting that the broadcasting selecting button/identity is operated, the game client obtains from the broadcasting service server a list of online broadcasting servers, presents the list to the user for selection, and takes the online broadcasting server currently selected by the user as a default server whose audio program is later tuned in by the user. And when detecting that the user has clicked the playing button/identity, the user tunes in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server currently selected by the user.

Of course, when starting to tune in the online broadcasting, the user may not perform broadcasting selecting in advance. And in this case, the user may directly tune in the audio program broadcast by a system-default online broadcasting server if it is the first time the user tunes in the online broadcasting, and if the user has tuned in the online broadcasting before, the audio program broadcast by the previously-selected online broadcasting server is tuned in again when the use does not perform the broadcasting selecting.

2) While tuning in the online-broadcast audio program, the user may click the broadcasting selecting button/identity at any time. In this case, when detecting that the broadcasting selecting button/identity is operated, the game client obtains a list of online broadcasting servers from the broadcasting service server, presents the list to the user for selection, and turns to tune in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server currently selected by the user, and the game client stops tuning in the online-broadcast audio program upon detecting that the user clicks the stopping button/identity.

In above Embodiment II, the broadcasting service server may also store the information of the program list of each online broadcasting server. And to make it convenient for the user to learn the specific programs broadcast by each online broadcasting server at any time, a program checking button/identity may be configured on the interface of the game. When detecting that the program checking button/identity is operated, the game client obtains from the broadcasting service server the information of the program list of the online broadcasting server currently selected by the user or the information of the program list of each online broadcasting server at the network side, and presents the acquired information of the program list to the user (the broadcasting service server only returns the corresponding program list of the online broadcasting currently selected by the user when the user selects to check the list of the programs currently broadcast online, and it returns the corresponding program list of each online broadcasting server at the network side when the user selects to check the list of all the online-broadcast programs. And if the program(s) of one or more online broadcasting servers is (are) updated, the information of the program list(s) of the corresponding online broadcasting server(s) stored in the broadcasting service server is updated timely for the convenience of the user's checking.

To enrich value-added services for the network game and online broadcasting, various implementation methods can be adopted in practical applications, for example:

One or more props existing in a game procedure are configured in advance, by which a player of the network game obtains the privilege of applying for one or more broadcasting services. When acquiring such prop in the game procedure, the user may request the corresponding broadcasting service, wherein the steps performed are as follows:

a) the game client initiates a request for a broadcasting service to the game server;

b) the game server judges that it is a user with the privilege, and transmits to the broadcasting service server the related information of the user initiating the request (e.g., a user identifier, a user's nickname etc.,) and the specific information of the broadcasting service requested (e.g., ordering a song); and,

c) the broadcasting service server stores the information of the user and the information of the broadcasting services requested by the user transmitted by the game server, and controls the online broadcasting server in an automatical or manual manner to perform the broadcasting service requested by the user in a related program time. For example, when in the manual manner, the related online-broadcasting host learns the broadcasting service requested by the user via the broadcasting service server, and publishes the host's speech and broadcasts the song ordered by the user via the online broadcasting server; and

when in the automatical manner, the broadcasting service server may filter or order the acquired information of the broadcasting services requested by the user, and notify the online broadcasting server (e.g., sending to a song online broadcasting server at network side the name or code of a song ordered by the user), and the online broadcasting server selects the corresponding songs for broadcasting.

In accordance with the method for implementing online broadcasting in the network game provided by the present invention, the present invention provides a corresponding system 11 for implementing online broadcasting in the game, the structure of which is shown in FIG. 2, including a game server 101 and a game client 102, the game client 102 including a logging-in module 1020 and an online-tuning-in function module 1021, and the system further including an online broadcasting server 103 set at the network side which is adapted to broadcast online an audio program via Internet. After logging in the game server 101, the game client 102 tunes in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server 103 during a game procedure if its online-tuning-in function module 1021 detects that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated. Wherein, there may be more than one online broadcasting server 103, and each online broadcasting server 103 is adapted to broadcast a different set of audio programs.

The system 11 for implementing online broadcasting in the game provided by the present invention may further include a broadcasting service server 104 set at the network side, which is adapted to manage a list of online broadcasting servers and information of program lists broadcast by the different online broadcasting servers, receive a broadcasting selecting request and a program list checking request initiated by the online-tuning-in function module 1021 in the game client 102, and returning to the game client 102 the list of online broadcasting servers and the information of the program lists stored in local.

The game server 101 may further include: a first function module 1011, adapted to receive a broadcasting service request initiated by the online-tuning-in function module 1021 in the game client 102 having a special prop, and transmit to the broadcasting service server 104 information of a user initiating the request and information of a broadcasting service requested.

The broadcasting service server 104 may further include: a second function module 1041, adapted to store the information of the user and the information of the broadcasting service requested by the user transmitted by the game server 101, and automatically or manually control the online broadcasting server 103 to implement the broadcasting service requested by the user in a related program time.

To sum up, according to the present invention, an online broadcasting server is set at network side for broadcasting online an audio program via Internet, and several controlling button/identity related to tuning in online broadcasting are configured one the game interface of the network game, where, when logging in the game server, the game client may implement tuning in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server in the game procedure if detecting that the playing button/identity configured on the game interface is operated (i.e., a user starts tuning in the online broadcasting). In this case, the user can easily perform various online-broadcasting operations to tune in the audio program broadcasted online while playing a game without opening a player or other external web pages.

By adopting the present invention, more than one online broadcasting server may be set at network side, each of which is adapted for broadcasting a different set of audio programs. For example, one online broadcasting server is specified for broadcasting related news of network games, and another one is specified for broadcasting popular songs etc. The user may select tuning in different online broadcasting programs and the user's experience of the online game is further enriched.

By adopting the present invention, the broadcasting service (e.g., the user ordering a song etc.,) and the current procedure of the game can be nearly combined. For example, the user acquires a special prop during the game and has the privilege to initiate a request for ordering a song etc. And thus, lots of value-added services can be developed based one the network online broadcasting to better satisfy the user's requirements.

Obviously, those skilled in this art may made various modifications and changes to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. And if the modifications and changes made to the present invention are covered by the scope of the claims of the present invention and equivalent techniques thereof, the present invention thus intends to comprise such modifications and changes.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. 

1. A method for implementing online broadcasting in a network game, comprising: logging in, by a game client, a game server at a network side; detecting that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated; and tuning in an online audio program broadcast via Internet by a configured online broadcasting server during a game.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting, by the game client, that a stopping button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, and stopping tuning in the online audio program broadcast via Internet by the online broadcasting server; and detecting, by the game client, that a volume adjusting button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, and increasing or decreasing the volume of the audio program currently tuned in.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein more than one online broadcasting server is configured, each of which is adapted to broadcast a different set of audio program.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: detecting, by the game client, that a broadcasting selecting button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, obtaining from a broadcasting service server a list of online broadcasting servers, and presenting the list to the user for selection; taking, by the game client, the online broadcasting server currently selected by the user as a default server being tuned on later, or tuning in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server currently selected by the user when already tuning in the online broadcasting; and detecting, by the game client, that a program list checking button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, acquiring from the broadcasting service server program list information of the online broadcasting server selected by the user or acquiring configured program list information of each online broadcasting server, and presenting the acquired program list information to the user.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: initiating, by the game client, a broadcasting service request to the game server; transmitting, by the game server, to the broadcasting service server information of a user initiating the request and information of a broadcasting service requested; and storing, by the broadcasting service server, the information of the user and the information of the broadcasting service requested by the user, and controlling the online broadcasting server to implement the broadcasting service requested by the user in a related program time.
 6. The method of claim 4, characterized by, further comprising: configuring a simulated broadcasting scenario on the interface of the game; and arranging the playing button/identity, the stopping button/identity, the volume adjusting button/identity, the broadcasting selecting button/identity and the program list checking button/identity in the broadcasting scenario.
 7. A system for implementing online broadcasting in a network game, comprising: a game server; an online broadcasting server, adapted to broadcast online an audio program via Internet; and a game client, adapted to detect that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated after logging in the game server, and tune in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server during a game.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the game client comprises: a logging-in module, adapted to log in the game server; and, an online-tuning-in function module, adapted to detect that the playing button/identity configured on the interface of the game is operated, and tune in the audio program broadcast by the online broadcasting server during the game.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising: a broadcasting service server, adapted to manage a list of online broadcasting servers and information of program lists broadcast by different online broadcasting servers, receive a broadcasting selecting request and a program list checking request initiated by the online-tuning-in function module in the game client, and return to the game client initiating the request the list of online broadcasting servers and the related program lists stored in local.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the game server comprises: a first function module, adapted to receive a broadcasting service request initiated by the online-tuning-in function module in a game client having a special prop, and transmit to the broadcasting service server information of a user initiating the request and information of a broadcasting service requested; and the broadcasting service server comprises: a second function module, adapted to store the information of the user and the information of the broadcasting service requested by the user transmitted by the game server, and control the online broadcasting server to implement the broadcasting service requested by the user in a related program time.
 11. A game client for implementing online broadcasting in a network game, comprising: a logging-in module; an online-tuning-in function module, adapted to detect that a playing button/identity configured on the interface of a game is operated, and tune in an audio program broadcast by an online broadcasting server during a game.
 12. The game client of claim 11, wherein the online-tuning-in function module is further adapted to initiate to a broadcasting service server a broadcasting selecting request and a program list checking request, and receive a list of online broadcasting servers and related program lists returned by the broadcasting service server.
 13. The game client of claim 10, wherein the online-tuning-in function module is further adapted to initiate a broadcasting service request to a game server, and transmit to the game server information of a user initiating the request and information of a broadcasting service requested.
 14. The game client of claim 11, wherein the online-tuning-in function module is further adapted to initiate a broadcasting service request to a game server, and transmit to the game server information of a user initiating the request and information of a broadcasting service requested. 